*Rick Young Photo Attachment // Brockville, ONT – October 17, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
Reigning Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman points king Chris Raabe returned to Brockville Ontario Speedway after a year absence wasting little time reminding the opposition why he was the 2008 track champion.
The ‘Teenage Tornado’ set fast time in Xtreme Lubricants Time Trials then come feature time shot by front row starter Dylan Evoy on a lap eight restart and led the remainder of the way to take top honors in the first-ever DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals Championship pocketing $1,000 for the 50-lap victory.
“This is real big for us considering the tight points race and being able to take advantage of a track we’ve had quite a bit of success at,” remarked Raabe, 18, following his 20th win of the season and tour-high fifth triumph on the ’09 short-track campaign. “Ryan’s been hot lately and I wanted a win bad to build my own momentum. I know going back to Black Rock next week anything can happen.”
Napanee, Ont. standout Raabe put himself in prime position to repeat as overall Mr. DIRTcar champion for a second straight season, opening up a 3.2-second victory margin over runner-up Justin Wright, with last Saturday’s Super DIRT Week winner Matt Billings, hometown favorite Randy Earl and closest title contender Ryan Susice from Ransomville, N.Y. scattered around the track.
A year away from the signature track outside the City of the Thousand Islands did little to foster a lapse in memory for Raabe, who also steered owner Gary McColman’s no. 01 Scott’s Industrial Services-TyRoute Communication/TEO entry to win in Brockville’s Sportsman Series showdown in July of ’08.
“The track has been widened and some of the banking has been reduced but the Sportsman still have to roll the top to keep momentum,” noted Raabe, who took nine checkered flags last season at Brockville en route to the points crown. “It’s all relative once you get out there but it was really racy tonight and fun to get around.”
Raabe tucked in on the back bumper of Evoy and alongside Susice to start the 50-lap main event. Tour invader B.J. Willard began fifth on the 30-car grid and looped in turn four to stack up the trailing pack with Susice pushed back to 12th during the first of five caution periods. When Chris Herbison got turned around navigating the first corner, Raabe took advantage on the ensuing restart to grab a lead he would never relinquish.
“I had a terrible push all day, just couldn’t get the car to turn,” said Susice, 19, despite rallying to score his ninth top-five finish including three feature wins behind the wheel of the potent Investor's Service Company no. k38 Philpac Packaging/Bicknell mount. He’ll need some help from Raabe in next Saturday’s series season finale at Black Rock Speedway, now trailing his Canadian counterpart by 57 markers with a maximum 60 points available to gain in one event.
“I was driving the car a lot harder than I should’ve at the end just to get it to turn. That’s all I could do to keep up the second half of the race. But I’m not giving up yet, there’s still one more to go and I’ll give it my best shot,” added Susice, who earned his first track titles this season at Ransomville and Canandaigua speedways.
Luke Whitteker slowed on the back chute with a flat left rear tire on lap 14 to force out a yellow flag and Evoy spun while jockeying near the front on the following restart, with Raabe opening up a comfortable advantage back under green. Fifth-place runner Sheldon Hoogwerf slid low into the turn four uke tire to incur the final caution with Raabe outdistancing runner-up Wright by nearly a straightaway in the chase to the checkers.
Twenty-four cars finished the race with the first 16 completing the entire distance just as the sun began to set on very cool day north of the border.
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